For kids interested in the body and how it works, this visual representation of the heart is fantastic! It’s obviously simplified, but serves as a nice illustration of how this vital body part works.

First, we cut a red balloon in half. Discard the narrow tail, and set aside the other half.

Fill a mason jar with water until about half full, and add 3 or 4 drops of red food coloring; Travis was thrilled we’d made “blood.”

Stretch the top part of the balloon over the jar, making sure it lies flat.

Cut two small slits in the balloon, about 1 inch apart. Insert straws into each, one red and one blue (Note: the color doesn’t really matter, but helps to differentiate). Tape the blue straw shut.

Now press down on the balloon and your heart will “squeeze” the blood out through the straw “arteries”. Make sure you place the jar on a plate or tray, because the squeezing gets messy!

Travis absolutely loved this, and had to pump the heart until our jar was all out of “blood.”

You can wow your kids with quick facts, like how their heart really pumps in a similar way about 70 times per minute.

Here’s a quick clip of the action: